Everton’s late move for Joshua Zirkzee collapsed when Manchester United rejected a loan offer late into transfer deadline day.
In the final hours of the summer transfer window, it looked like Joshua Zirkzee was edging towards a loan move to Everton.
The Toffees made an offer to United for Zirkzee, with The Athletic claiming that the Old Trafford club felt they did not have enough time to secure a replacement for the Netherlands international.
Here are the biggest positives and negatives as Zirkzee stays at United.
Photo by Ash Donelon/Manchester United via Getty Images
Man Utd are not thin for forward options: Although Zirkzee is not of the required standard for a team like United, allowing him to leave without bringing in a striker would have been a huge risk, especially when Michael Carrick is light on options up front as it is.
Plenty of games for opportunities this season: Zirkzee hasn’t featured in either of United’s two games, but now that he’s staying, Carrick will likely plan to utilise the Dutch forward in cup competitions. United have a Carabao Cup third-round tie coming up against Brighton.
Man Utd stand their ground over unfavourable terms: Sky Sports claims Everton offered to pay a total fee of around £10m for Zirkzee, which included his wages for the season. This proposal didn’t include a commitment to a buy option, and that may have proven the biggest stumbling block. Ineos have tried setting a precedent by walking away from unfavourable deals this summer.
Zirkzee doesn’t score enough goals: The former Bologna forward has nine goals in 75 games for United. It is no wonder that he was available for transfer at the start of the window.
Missed opportunity to offload wages: In an ideal world, United would have sold Zirkzee earlier in the summer. That would have removed the Dutchman from the wage bill. Now, he’s Old Trafford-bound until January at least.
**Depreciating market value: **Zirkzee’s value won’t rise sitting on the bench, as we’ve seen since he joined United in 2024. Hopefully, he can have a big impact in the cup matches he is likely to feature in.
